Steering Committee

CSfC Members are considering supporting Chris Pappas (NH-01) for Congress - here's a bit of background.

Update: CSfC members voted to support Chris Pappas

Chris Pappas is currently an elected member of New Hampshire’s Executive Council - similar to Massachusetts' Governor's Council. He is running for US House of Representatives, to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter. Pappas would be the first openly gay representative from New Hampshire.

Born and raised in Manchester, Chris Pappas is a small business owner. After graduating from Harvard in 2002, Chris returned to New Hampshire to help run his family’s business, the Puritan Backroom Restaurant. He began his public service as a State Representative in 2002, serving two terms, and was subsequently elected to two terms as the Treasurer of Hillsborough County. Since 2013, Pappas has represented District 4 on the New Hampshire Executive Council.

Pappas was endorsed by three Democrats in the New Hampshire congressional delegation - Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Rep. Annie Kuster.

Cambridge Somerville for Change is pleased to announce the following endorsements in the September 4tthprimary election:

For Middlesex County District Attorney: Donna Patalano

Cambridge Somerville for Change membership has voted to endorse Donna Patalano in the race for Middlesex County District Attorney. Donna is running against incumbent Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.

The District Attorney's Office in Middlesex County, the largest county in Massachusetts, can have a major impact in the state during the upcoming implementation of the recently passed Massachusetts criminal justice reform bill and in ongoing efforts to build on this foundation.

Donna Patalano’s legal career includes time as a clerk for Justice Elspeth B. Cypher in the Massachusetts Appeals Court as well as time as a prosecutor in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. She has also worked as an advocate and defense attorney in both the state and federal justice system, giving her experience and a view of both sides of the justice system.

Donna returned to the Suffolk County DA's Office as Chief of Professional Integrity & Ethics, creating training programs, prosecution policies, and helping to build the Conviction Integrity Program.

She was counsel of record for more than 120 Appeals Court cases and appeared more than 20 times in front of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Recognized by her colleagues for her work, Donna was honored with the “Best Appellate Prosecutor” and the “Unsung Hero” awards.

The Massachusetts 7th district includes Somerville, Chelsea, Everett, Randolph, large sections of Boston, and parts of Milton and Cambridge – a map of the district is availablehere.

Ayanna Pressley, first elected to Boston City Council in 2009, was the first woman of color ever elected to the Boston City Council. Prior to her election to the Boston City Council, Ayanna worked as a Senior Aide for Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II and later for Senator John Kerry.

As a member of the Boston City Council, Ayanna worked to establish the Committee on Healthy Women, Families, and Communities. This Committee addresses the causes that Ayanna has been most devoted to: stabilizing families and communities, reducing and preventing violence and trauma, combating poverty, and addressing issue that disproportionately impact women and girls. Ayanna consistently has strived to improve the lives of people who have too often been left behind.

In 2016, Ayanna was named one of The New York Times 14 Young Democrats to Watch. In 2015, she earned the EMILY’s List Rising Star Award and was named one of Boston Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful People. In 2014, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce named her as one of their Ten Outstanding Young Leaders, and the Victim Rights Law Center presented her with their Leadership Award. She is also an Aspen-Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership, Class of 2012.

CSfC is excited to support both candidates for the Tuesday September 4th primary election. Announcements will be coming soon for phone banks and canvassing events to support each candidate in these last few weeks.

Don’t forget to vote on September 4th and hope to see you at a phone bank or canvass in the next two weeks!

On February 14th of this year, Nikolas Cruz, a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, walked into the school from which he had been expelled and began shooting.

The resultant massacre, aided by the legal purchase of an AR-15 assault rifle despite his prior mental health issues, quickly became one of the world's most notorious and deadly school shootings. Cruz The shooter pulled a fire alarm and, amidst the chaos, proceeded to execute seventeen former schoolmates and teachers in the following six minutes, in one of the most horrifying acts of senseless violence that our nation has ever seen.

What happened next, in the wake of that horrific act, defies explanation has been a national inspiration: the survivors of Parkland refused to embrace victimhood. Instead they set their sights on change, on shocking the system that led to their tragedy. They used their social media savvy and reach to begin a long-overdue movement to reform gun laws in this country and end gun violence altogether. Thanks to the efforts of those motivated and dedicated young people, the #NeverAgain movement has gained so much traction that Florida, long a bastion of NRA support for 2nd Amendment rights, has introduced new commonsense gun laws that would make it vastly more difficult for weapons to wind up in the wrong hands.

But this fight is not over with just Florida. The survivors of Parkland have inspired a nationwide action on Saturday, March 24th, that will show the entire country that there is overwhelming majority support for across-the-board gun law reform. Boston's part in the March for Our Lives is projected to be among the largest such demonstrations in the country, and while it is student-inspired and student-led, adults are more than invited to volunteer and provide both personnel and logistical support for this worthwhile endeavor.

If there is ever going to be a moment where we can effect positive change to keep our loved ones safe from gun violence, this is it. Please join together with us as we make this a safe and well-executed demonstration of our solidarity in peace, to prove definitively that no child should ever have to fear going to school. If you can donate time, money, or both, to make sure that this event receives the attention it rightly deserves, please click the following links.

There is a great need for event marshals dedicated to maintaining basic crowd control/movement, peacekeepers to manage counter-protestors and ensure the safety of all, legal observers, street medics, accessibility facilitators, etc. Whatever your level of experience, there will certainly be a job for you. There will be two trainings in advance of the event, this coming Saturday, March 17th from 10 am – 1 pm at the Boston Teachers Union in Dorchester, and the following Wednesday evening at a location still TBD. Please fill out the marshal form at the above link and you will be added to the email list for more details.

About

Cambridge-Somerville for Change is an all-volunteer community group dedicated to harnessing the grassroots energy and spirit of change inspired by the Obama campaign. Our organizing work includes electoral and issue-based campaigns at the local, state, and national level. Our members have chosen to work on promoting economic fairness, comprehensive health care reform, creating policies that conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide for fair and adequate access to public transportation, and promoting in-state tuition for immigrant youth.

This is an organization built by and for you, the community, and we look forward to your participation and feedback. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions about getting involved, please emailinfo@ cambridgesomervilleforchange.comor call us at(617) 302-7324.